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It's just six years old and considered a relative newbie in the neighbourhood of mobile phones. But even so, the Sony Ericsson has carved a niche for itself and a firm following. How and why becomes clear when you pick up a Sony Ericsson.
Having strong links to the world of music, the first instinct is to expect superior music playback on the mobile phone. That's an unfair stereotype. The Sony Ericsson has much more than music.
The latest offerings from Sony Ericsson are the the K630i,T650i and the K770i Cyber-shot.
If sleek, speedy and stylish are qualities you appreciate, then the K630i is the phone for you. It is pre-loaded with Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync to mirror your PC's mailbox so you won't miss any e-mails, animated icons that give one press access to your favourite websites, and all that at HSDPA speeds which are up to four times faster than on a regular 3G phone.
It's slightly shorter and thicker against the T650i and K770i which,side by side, stand as tall and as thick as the other. They also weigh the same (95 grams) and have similar distinguishing features such as the 1.9 inch TFT screen, square central navigation dial and a layout for navigation keys that seem to have come off from a set blueprint. But that's not a bad point, especially since the layout is actually very neat and logical.
There is no need to second-guess the options laid out. To go back one step in any application that's been opened, just click the button with the U-turn arrow, simple. Press the little globe button and your links to the world-wide web open up, and so on.
Alike as the may seem, the T650i and the K770i Cyber-shot are in no way, twins.
The T650i has very tiny, square buttons for keypads and though they are raised,presumably to make them easier to use, they are rather hard to handle. But they do show up very well in contrast to the phone's coloured hue of Growing Green which is a shade that's definitely not dull.
The keypads also light up with the phone's rich home screen animation and give off reflections on the metallic shades that dress the stainless steel body.
There is an overall tough feel to the phone, accentuated by the brushed stainless steel body that the sides and back cover of the phone show off well.
But it's not all just looks.
The 1.9-inch screen is made with scratch-resistant mineral glass so when you throw about the stainless steel device, you won't have to regret it 10 seconds later.
Users will appreciate the solid feel of the phone, but won't have to worry about being weighed down by a phone, as it is really quite light.
It's hard to dispute that the T650i is a mobile that's been created with attention to the little details.
The phone's mineral glass display is said to have been placed directly onto the screen, to offer better visibility in bright environments, widen the viewing angle of the screen and make colours more intense.
Colours are definitely rich on the phone and a video played on it could indeed be viewed without any loss even from an extreme side angle...but then, do you really want to share your videos with that stranger sitting next to you on your train-ride home?
The attention to details also saw Sony Ericsson extending the design philosphy of this phone to its accessories.
Bundled with the handset is a desk-stand that users can use stylishly to charge the phone or transfer data to their PC. Once the cable is wired up, all you need to do is attach the phone which will stand gracefully.
The 3G phone offers talk time of up to 7 hours, way under the 10 hours offered by the K770i Cyber-shot.
As you would have guessed, the K770i Cyber-shot rides on the mark Sony has left in the world of photography. The promise here is that with this mobile, you won't long for a camera (unless it's another Sony Cyber-shot, of course).
"The best moments in life always seem to happen when you don't have a camera," says Chris Lee, Vice President of Marketing, Asia Pacific. "If you like the idea of having a snapshot camera on your phone, and want shots that look good in your family album, then the K770i is perfect."
What goes into making this photo-taking camera perfect is the Photo-fix which can turn murky pictures taken in the dark or with less than steady hands into pretty decent looking shots.
The camera-lens hides behind a clever slide panel which seems to be the only solid feature in this phone which as a generally plastic feel.
The 3.2 megapixel camera isn't anything special since the same can be found in the T650i. The difference is that with the Cyber-shot phone users can choose to shoot with the auto focus or switch to macro, use the flash or natural light with a white balance option.
You can choose to send your shots the moment you take them or share them online with the Blog option.
Those who prefer to hold prints in their hands can safely link the phone to compatible printers to produce magazine-sized photos.
Storage of photos and music on both the Sony Ericssons are on a micro Memory Stick, in keeping with the Sony family-line. The break from the standard SD cards may of course, have some thinking twice, since it may be troublesome to transfer data from phone to PC.
However, with the given cables attached from USB port to phone, moving video clips and music from PC to the phone was an effortless exercise. There wasn't even the need to spend time downloading extra drivers as both phone and PC instantly connected with each other.
And speaking of music, how did the K770i and T650i perform when turned into a jukebox?
Well… both phones performed almost on par with the same piece of music played out from the speakers on the back. The music options on the K770i however, did turn the music piece just a little brighter as it played out.
So the next time there's a Sony Ericsson mobile phone on offer, don't just think music.
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